Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 319 The Starry Sky Calendar of Silver City (Thanks to Nymphia for the donation)
"Other human survivor city-states?"

"The Sun" Derrick was very excited upon hearing this. He never expected that Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" would come to such a conclusion so soon after exploring the "Forsaken Land".

In fact, if it were an ordinary person, even if they encountered the same Mirror God, they would not be able to deduce such a result from the known information.

The fundamental reason is that they don't know what's to the east of the "Forsaken Land," nor do they know the general map of the "Forsaken Land." In short, the information they have is too limited to connect the dots and draw a directional conclusion.

Throughout the history of "Silver City," there have been numerous explorations into other possible human settlements. However, these explorations either resulted in the discovery of destroyed city-states, or they returned empty-handed, or the entire exploration team was wiped out.

In the boundless darkness, finding other surviving civilizations, helping each other, and sticking together for warmth is what all the inhabitants of the "Forsaken Land" yearn for.

"Yes, that should be it."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded again, affirming Derrick's words.

"Then, Mr. 'Wheel of Fate,' should we send an exploration team from 'Silver City' to conduct the exploration?"

Derrick was quite excited:
“We should have a routine exploration team soon, and I can discuss this with the Chief…”

"No, not yet."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
"Have you been promoted to 'notary' yet?"

"Yes, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

"The Sun" Derrick nodded.

"You have more important things to do now."

Roger crossed his arms:

"First, we need to digest the 'Notary' potion as quickly as possible to prepare for possible changes later."

"Another thing, I want to make a new deal with you, a deal that will benefit both of us."

"If this deal goes through, it will grant 'Silver City' the ability to sense time and dates. Are you interested?"

"The ability to perceive time and...date?"

"The Sun," Derrick paused for a moment, then asked in a trembling voice:

"Really? If so, of course I'd love to!"

According to the historical records of "Silver City," the world originally had day and night and the changing of the seasons, but later the sky turned dark, the alternation of day and night was lost, and people lost their perception of time and calendar.

Now that Mr. Wheel of Fortune has offered to help Silver City rediscover its astronomical calendar, Derrick finds it hard to believe.

After all, this gentleman has already brought music with all sorts of magical effects to Silver City, greatly improving the morale and fighting power of the residents. Now he claims he can teach them the calendar. If this is true, Mr. Wheel of Fortune's contribution to Silver City is enough to warrant a monument and statue—if he can actually appear in Silver City's sight.

"can."

Roger nodded:

"But this requires two basic conditions."

“I need an extraordinary trait corresponding to the ‘Generalist’ Sequence 5 ‘Astrologer’, or a corresponding sealed artifact. The requirement is that it must be able to display celestial phenomena. If anyone has such resources, please contact me. I can offer an equivalent price.”

Having said that, he looked at the "hermit" Cattleya:
“Especially you, Lady ‘Hermit,’ I suppose you must have something like this?”

Huh? Why are you asking me?
The Hermit, Cattleya, was startled:
Does he know who I am? Or has he discovered that I'm following him?

"Otherwise, how did he know I had such a thing?"
"Could it be that Mr. Fool has realized I'm in the Forsaken Land... Yes, He just whispered in my ear announcing a meeting."

Cattleya suddenly felt a headache coming on. She had originally wanted to try not to tell Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" her whereabouts, but she did not expect that Mr. "Fool" had seen through everything with his condescending gaze. It was possible that Mr. "Wheel of Fortune", as His chosen one, had already received a hint and realized the relationship between her and the "Mysterious Queen", which was why he asked such a question.

In fact, Roger's guess was entirely correct. Cattleya did indeed possess an item that corresponded to the extraordinary characteristics of an "astronomer," known as the "True Star Map."

Rather than saying that the item belonged to her, it would be more accurate to say that it belonged to the "mysterious queen" Bernadette. However, according to her previous instructions to Cattleya, items of this caliber could be used for exchange at the "Tarot Club".

After all, this mother and daughter were descendants of the "Generalist" angel, Emperor Roselle. When Emperor Roselle cooperated closely with the Steam Church, he did indeed obtain many things from the "Generalist" pathway.

After the assassination of Emperor Roselle, a considerable portion of his relics were intercepted by Bernadette, and the "True Star Map" was among them.

The "hermit" hesitated for a few seconds, then finally nodded and said:

"To be honest, I do have such an item, but it's not cheap; it costs 8000 gold pounds."

"If you are interested, I can tell you about its uses and side effects."

"please."

Roger nodded, referring to the "Wheel of Fortune."

"Its name is 'True Star Chart,' and it looks like a parchment scroll. Its function is quite simple: it can reveal the sun, moon, and star conditions corresponding to the holder's current location, thus serving as a means of judging celestial phenomena in severe weather or extreme environments."

"Its side effect is that it periodically causes gravity anomalies within a 50-meter radius, which can be fatal in severe cases. However, these gravity anomalies can be mitigated or eliminated by other types of extraordinary abilities."

"On the other hand, I must remind you that this item may not be usable in the 'Forsaken Land,' because, according to Mr. 'Sun,' the mystical connection between the 'Forsaken Land' and the starry sky is likely severed, which would affect the celestial projection of the 'True Star Map.'"

After "The Hermit" Cattleya finished speaking, her purple eyes gleamed as she observed Roger, "The Wheel of Fortune," for his reaction.

Soon, she saw Roger nod:

"This is really suitable for me, I'll take it."

"Regarding the situation you just mentioned, where this item might not be usable in the 'Forsaken Land,' I have a solution. Thank you for letting me know."

“We’ll make the deal later through Mr. Fool, thank you for your help, Mr. Fool.”

"The Fool" Klein nodded slightly, indicating that he had no objection.

"it is good."

Seeing this, "The Hermit" Cattleya nodded as well.

She had just paid Roger a large sum of money in exchange for the "Warning Bell" and was now selling the "True Star Map" to recoup her losses.

In any case, for her, the "astrologer," this Sequence 5 sealed artifact was not irreplaceable.

She was also very curious about how Roger would resolve the anomalies of the "True Star Map" in the "Forsaken Land"—in fact, she was able to say this because she had already tried to use the "True Star Map" to determine time in the "Forsaken Land," but had failed.

This shocked Gadria greatly, because such a thing had never happened before. Although the "True Star Map" was not a demigod-level extraordinary item, it was still one of the more powerful items among the Sequence 5 extraordinary items.

Even in the Misty Sea and the Raging Sea, it could accurately locate the current starry sky and time, but unexpectedly, the "Forsaken Land" completely abolished its function, and the positions of all the stars remained in the state before they entered the "Forsaken Land".

Roger had actually guessed this situation, because in the past thousand years of history of "Silver City", they could not have failed to discover extraordinary items corresponding to "astrologers", "astrologers" or "astronomers", but they still lost their perception of time. It is highly likely that the isolation of the starry sky by "Forsaken Land" also nullified the effects of these extraordinary items, to the point that they might even have been discarded as ordinary things.

However, this problem does not exist for Roger, because as a "living star chart" and possessing the "original dynamic core", he can make a contract with the "true star map" and then directly let the "original dynamic core" "time" the "true star map", thus breaking through the obstacles previously encountered by the residents of "Silver City".

In particular, a significant portion of the residents of "Silver City" can be considered Roger's followers, and the mystical connection between the "Primal Core" and them will support the operation of the "True Star Map" in that region.

In this way, Roger could play a role similar to "creating the heavens," truly becoming the "living star chart" of the residents of "Silver City," and replacing their mystical starry sky in a mystical sense.

This is one of the best ways Roger could think of to play the role of the "living star chart"—the belief of an entire survivor human city-state could definitely greatly enhance his potion's power!
After confirming this, "The Magician" Fors spoke again:

“Dear Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’, I have two things to tell you.”

"The first thing is that I have fully digested the 'Astrologer' potion and am currently seeking advancement with the help of your people... Of course, I will pay the corresponding price as a thank you for the potion formula you left behind before you left Backlund."

After the war, Roger specifically instructed Alice to share the "Recorder" potion with Miss "Magician" when necessary. After all, Fors had been working tirelessly to help Sam and the others find candidates for the second batch of "Honest Demons" during this time, so she deserved this reward.

He nodded upon hearing this:

"Congratulations, Miss 'Magician'. And the second thing?"

"The second thing is that I have joined the 'He Xing School' as you suggested."

"The Magician" Fors continued:
"As far as I know, the chairman of that school is a man named Yale Nicholson, who, as far as I know, is a 'fighting scholar'."

"He was very interested in astrological knowledge and claimed that he had received revelations many times in his prayers to 'Hey Star'. I randomly tested his astrological knowledge and found that his level of knowledge was no less than that of an 'astrologer' who had just been promoted to Sequence 7."

"Most importantly, he told me that after he prayed to 'He Xing' and obtained the corresponding knowledge, the passive knowledge instillation that he, as an extraordinary person of the 'Secret Seeker' pathway, often experienced, also improved greatly."

"Oh?"

Roger was somewhat surprised.

Ever since he supported the establishment of the "Hercules School" behind the scenes, Nicholson has often prayed to himself and asked the "Hercules" to bestow astrological knowledge upon him.

Roger would give him a little response each time, but not much. After a few times, Nicholson would occasionally say things like "Thank you for your protection," but Roger didn't think much of it at the time and just took it as a routine compliment.

After all, Nicholson didn't say that he was protecting him in any way. Perhaps in his view, "He Star" could see through everything, so there was no need to go into the details.

It wasn't until Miss "Magician" brought this up today that Roger suddenly realized that "Original Core" had unknowingly provided Nicholson with protection and, to some extent, helped him block the "Hidden Sage's" "knowledge-seeking" phenomenon!
"If that's the case..."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," suddenly realized something.

He had previously seen the rust-colored spots that symbolized Miss "Magician" in the "Original Core," and these spots were deeper than those of those who listened to his music.

Roger had initially thought that Miss Magician's natural respect for him stemmed from her social connections, but after hearing her say this today, he realized that was probably not the case.

On the other hand, considering that her influence from the "Full Moon Talk" had significantly decreased after she joined the "Tarot Club," Roger couldn't help but think of a possibility.

That is, in the previous incident where the "Judgment Star" crashed to Earth, causing the mass death of the Abraham family members, Mr. "Door," who was corrupted by the "Fallen Mother Goddess," was likely also contaminated by some of the pollution from the "Primal Core."

In addition, after she held a prayer ceremony for the "Source Castle" and caused the "Primal Core" to establish a mystical connection with the Source Castle, which has a similar symbolic meaning, under the guidance of the power of the "Key to the Gate". Therefore, the "Magician's" request to the "Fool" may have partly pointed to the "Primal Core".

This meant that when the "Full Moon Whisper" occurred later, the pollution from the "Star of Judgment" mixed in with it actually became Miss "Magician's" protection, greatly reducing the impact on Fors.

However, all of this was overlooked because Mr. Fool was also providing protection for Miss Magician. Miss Magician, Mr. Fool, and even Roger himself, the Wheel of Fortune, all believed that Mr. Fool was the only force providing protection for Miss Magician!

Now it seems that Roger also played an important role without realizing it.

"The Fool" Klein also thought of this. His eyes flickered slightly as he quickly scanned "Wheel of Fortune" Roger and "Magician" Fors.

He seemed to understand why the crimson star representing "The Magician" Fors was tinged with the same rusty color as Roger's.

Klein had previously thought there was something between Roger and Fors that he didn't know about, but now it seemed that it was because the latter worshipped two "gods" at the same time.

"I really want to self-destruct, I really want to ask Roger what exactly his 'He Xing' is..."

Klein was in a state of great inner turmoil. In addition to carrying out his plan to steal the Antigonus family's notes, he had also been thinking about the "Source Castle".

He had seen Roger create those strange "celestial" runes when he was with Roger before. At the time, Klein thought they were referring to some known god or something from the gods, but now it seemed that "celestial" itself should refer to "Hell Star".

In terms of status, "Yuanbao" and "Hexing" should be of the same level.

In the end, Mr. Fool calmed down and decided to figure things out on his own, hoping that there might be relevant records in the Antigonus family's notes.

"Miss Magician"

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded:
"What you told me today was very valuable, thank you."

“It is what I should do, Mr. Wheel of Fortune.”

"The Magician" Fors nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Ever since she learned that Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" was the current head of the Abraham family, she had grown to respect him even more.

"Next, you can look for opportunities to improve your status within the 'He Xing School,' which will have a bright future," Mr. "Wheel of Fate" advised.

"'Fool,' 'Wheel of Fortune,' may I join the 'Hercules School'... or pray to it?"

"The Hermit" Cattleya, having overheard Roger and Fors' conversation, looked expectantly toward the front of the bronze table and asked a question.

Previously, Gadriya had some resistance when she heard the concept of "Hessing School" because it sounded like some kind of secret evil god organization.

So much so that when Miss Justice expressed her desire to join earlier, Cattleya remained silent and observed.

But today, the "Hermit" lady is truly tempted.

Even though she herself could receive the protection of Mr. Fool, many of her relatives and subordinates were extraordinary individuals who had passed through the 'Spy' pathway.

Without Mr. Fool's permission, the Hermit Cattleya dared not tell them anything about Mr. Fool—after all, Huang Jiajia had already been reprimanded by Mr. Fool Klein for this matter, and the painful experience made her unwilling to do anything reckless again.

In comparison, the "Hexing School" seems much cheaper. After all, Miss "Magician" has already joined in and prayed to "Hexing" without showing any abnormalities, which makes Cattleya want to give it a try.

On the other hand, after so many days of contact with Roger, Cattleya has basically determined that he is a sane saint, and his subconscious concern for others during the battle shows that he is not a bad person.

This was also agreed upon by the "mysterious queen" Bernadette, whose original words were, "I don't see anything wrong with Roger Abraham."

Based on the above information, Jia Deliya is willing to give it a try.

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," did not speak; he simply looked respectfully at Klein, the "Fool," seeking his reply.

"The Fool" Klein also understood Roger's actions, and he spoke up:

"You can pray to that star and join when the time is right."

He made this arrangement taking into account the fact that the "Hermit" was currently in the "Forsaken Land" and unable to return to Backlund.

"The Hermit" Cattleya breathed a slight sigh of relief. In any case, Mr. Fool's affirmative answer gave her an extra layer of preparation.

"Praise you, Mr. Fool."

She sincerely thanked them.

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' could you please share your entire experience of entering the 'Forsaken Land'? Is it indeed located at the easternmost point of the Sunia Sea?"

At this moment, Mr. Hanged Man spoke up and asked a question.

In fact, Alger, an official Beyonder of the Church of Storms, had heard of the anomalies at the easternmost part of the Sunia Sea more than once, but had never experienced them firsthand.

"Yes, this has been verified."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded, and then recounted his entire experience at the easternmost point of the Sunia Sea, including the strange light, the unusual phenomena that appeared in the sky and earth, and the bizarre dream that would pull everyone into it.

Of course, Roger omitted the details of his rescue of "Black Saint" Leomaster and how he opened the door to "The Forsaken Land" through the collective emotional resonance triggered by the concert in "Silver City." These details were quite sensitive and would affect Roger's subsequent integration efforts with "The Aurora Society."

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' you just mentioned the collective dream in the 'Ruins of the Divine War' that pulls everyone into it... Is it related to the power of the 'Dragon of Imagination'?"

At this moment, Miss "Justice" spoke up. Having been a member of the "Psychological Alchemy Society" for some time, she was now very sensitive to topics involving the mind, collective unconscious, and dreams.

This is because there is a high probability that this is the ability demonstrated by the "audience" approach at a high level, which is the direction Audrey is currently seeking for advancement.

"I do not know."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," gave a bitter laugh.
"In fact, the various anomalies of the 'Gods' War Ruins' are far too complex. From what I have observed along the way, there are more than five extraordinary forces involved."

"However, I can give a speculative answer to your question based on my experience."

“Part of that dream was the power of the ‘Sleepless’ pathway—I’m referring to the sudden darkness, and ‘darkness’ is one of the core powers that the ‘Sleepless’ pathway can use at higher levels.”

dark……

"The Fool" Klein recalled the power he had previously witnessed wielded by the angels of the Church of the "Goddess of Night," which could plunge the world into darkness, and suddenly had a new understanding of that scene.

“'The Sleepless' pathway… hiss.”

"Justice" Audrey suddenly gasped slightly, because she too was thinking of "Goddess of the Night"!
She is no longer the naive and innocent girl who just entered the extraordinary world. In fact, Audrey's knowledge has surpassed that of 99% of the mid-sequence extraordinary individuals. Just based on her knowledge of the secrets of Sequence 0, very few people can compare to her.

But nominally, she was still a believer in the "Goddess of the Night," and at this moment, she unconsciously had some blasphemous thoughts, which made her a little nervous.

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," also noticed Audrey's reaction. He chuckled inwardly, but outwardly remained serious, saying:

"The ability to pull everyone into a dream after nightfall should also belong to the 'Sleepless' pathway. As for the collective dream itself, it is indeed very likely a manifestation of the 'Spectator' pathway, only it also contains the power of the 'Sleepless' pathway within it."

He immediately shook his head:
"Furthermore, I must point out that, in my view, it is not the ability of the 'Dragon of Imagination,' or rather, although the two powers are homogeneous, their sources are different."

"You mean, there was another entity that once held authority at Sequence 0 of the 'Audience' pathway?"

"Miss Justice" immediately retorted.

"Yes."

Roger nodded, referring to the "Wheel of Fortune."

"Who is He?"

Miss Justice paused:

"If this knowledge requires a price, I am willing to pay the necessary compensation."

"No, this is not about payment."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
"You'll find out later."

At present, the Tarot Club's understanding of the "Ancient Sun God" is still very superficial, and Roger does not want to bring this issue to the forefront so early.

Because doing so would not bring any benefits and would also prematurely involve Audrey and other intermediate-sequence extraordinary individuals in many troublesome matters.

The most critical issue is that if Roger were to bring up the matter of the Third Age Sun God, "Sun" Derrick would probably be unable to process it for a while.

Although the "Hermit" Cattleya, due to her mother's influence, likely knows something about this, Roger won't bring it up unless she does.

"Ok."

"Justice," Audrey nodded. Since Roger said so, she could only suppress her curiosity for the time being.

"By the way, ladies and gentlemen."

She went on to say:

"I need a fruit from a psychedelic bell tree. Does anyone have a clue?"

This is one of the main materials needed for the "Hypnotist" in Sequence 6 of the "Audience" pathway. Audrey searched for it for a long time in her network of relationships but could not find it.

In particular, Fors's impending promotion to Sequence 6 gave Audrey a special sense of urgency. She didn't want to fall too far behind her friends, so the fruits of the Enchanted Wind Chime Tree were indispensable.

"I have a lead, but it will probably take about two weeks to get it."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," replied that he had indeed discovered a psychedelic bell tree when he and Zilingus explored a primitive island in their early years, but his abilities were limited at the time, so he did not make any plans to do so.

Alger's strength is now vastly different from before; he is now a Sequence 5 "Ocean Singer," so he is unwilling to give up the opportunity to make money.

The reason he didn't go immediately was because he wanted to invite "The World" Gehrman Sparrow to go with him, so there were some things that needed to be clarified beforehand.

The two had collaborated once or twice before, but compared to Mr. Wheel of Fortune, Alger had more to consider when facing Mr. World.

Upon hearing this, Miss Justice immediately exclaimed excitedly:

"no problem!"

At this moment, Emlyn, the "Moon," spoke up and asked:
Does anyone know what this is?

With the help of Mr. Fool, he materialized a slender "moon doll" that resembled a wooden stake.

"Does anyone know what this is?"

"This is the 'Moon Messenger,' an extraordinary item created by the 'Primordial Moon' believers through a bloody ritual that has lasted for hundreds of years. You'd better hand it over to the upper echelons of your vampire clan; it's dangerous."

"The Hermit" Cattleya looked at it several times before answering.

Where did you get it?

“I got this while hunting a ‘primordial moon’ believer.”

Emlyn, the "Moon," was quite proud:
"She is dead, I am still alive."

Who asked you...?

The members of the "Tarot Club" were speechless at Mr. "The Moon's" blatant boasting. Then, Cattleya asked, somewhat bewildered:
"How did you do that? Did your vampire clan's higher-ups provide assistance?"

"No, it was Mr. 'Fool' who provided the help."

Emlyn, nicknamed "The Moon," had slightly red ears.

"Of course, it's an equal exchange!"

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," spoke up at this moment:

"The Hermit is right. You'd better handle things that involve the 'Primordial Moon' carefully."

“…Yes, Mr. Wheel of Fortune.”

Emlyn, the "moon," paused:
"By the way, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' I have just finished making a new batch of extraordinary potions. Would you like some?"

"Recently, my 'Potion Professor' potion digestion progress has been quite good, so the potions I make have greatly improved in both quality and duration of effect."

"can."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded. He knew Emlyn wanted to complete another deal before Baron Bohr could.
"But we can trade in a few days. As you know, I am currently exploring the 'Forsaken Land' and cannot receive the potion for the time being."

"I will let you know in advance when I am able to."

“Yes, Mr. Wheel of Fortune.”

Emlyn, the "Moon," was overjoyed.
I'll give you the cost breakdown later.

"it is good."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded and agreed.

The "Tarot Meeting" continued for a while until Mr. Fool announced the end of the meeting, at which point Roger returned to the "Forsaken Land" and into the boundless darkness.

As soon as he returned to reality, Roger's gaze drifted to Cattleya, who was still wrapped in a black robe and had her head down.

"I wonder how Gadriya will hand over the 'True Star Map' to me next?"

Roger pondered this question with some curiosity.

(End of this chapter)